Scientists say the birth of yet another new member in a pod of endangered killer whales off B.C.’s coast is proof the population is rebounding.
The Washington state-based Center for Whale Research said a new baby orca was seen swimming with her mother, Princess Angeline, in Haro Strait Saturday.
The calf, dubbed J53 by the centre, is the fourth calf born to the 38-year-old Orca. Princess Angeline is also the grandmother to J46 and J47.
This is the sixth calf born into the “Class of 2015” for B.C.'s southern resident killer whales.
In Pictures: Endangered orca pod welcomes newest member
Executive Director Michael Harris said in a statement the wide age range of the female orcas giving birth is fascinating.
“This year we’ve had the youngest mother on record give birth, a 10-year-old, and three of the oldest,” he said.
“Now we’ve got a grandma having a baby. Forty is definitely the new 30 among the Southerns.”
After three years without adding any new members, the Southern Resident pod now has 82 members.
That’s significantly higher than the 1970s, when animals were captured and taken to amusement parks, like Sea World. That practice was stopped in 1976.
